Serendipity
by merder4everandever
Summary: Meredith has never had the vision of been a mom. But when one of her one-night stands gets her pregnant, she’s forced to deal with the consequences. Making matters worse, she falls for her new doctor whose brother is the father to her baby.Merder Mermark
1. Mess Around

**Summery: Meredith has never had the vision of been a mom. But when one of her one-night stands gets her pregnant, she's forced to deal with the consequences. Making matters worse, she falls for her new doctor whose brother, Mark Sloan, is the father to her baby. Merder, Mermark. **

**A/N: Oh how I love sibling rivalry. I've never done anything like this before, so I hope it turns out good. But, like always, there are lot of twists and turns and drama, and this is one story I am actually planning to stick through till the end. But you must review (!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!) so I know whether or not to continue. Its pretty choppy in the beginning but it will flow a lot more easier once I get into it. So, read and review please! **

_Now_

He sat back in his leather chair, the upholstery squeaking lightly from the movement. He rubbed the sides of the frame between his thumbs, his fingers sliding gently over the picture, covered protectively by breakable glass. He drew the outline of her face, the outline of her child, _his_ child. The tiny baby had her eyes and his mouth. He placed the picture frame back on his desk, unable to look at it any longer. Thinking better of it, he gingerly tucked the frame into one of the many empty cabinets in his desk. She didn't know he had a picture of her, of the baby. He didn't know that his brother had a picture of his child. It was ridiculous, really, that he was hiding this. But what had happened between them was unspeakable, silent. Never to be mentioned. It was the rule; the rule between them, the rule between his brother and himself, the silent, unspoken rule.

"Dr. Shepherd?" Anna, his secretary asked, entering his office, "There is someone hear to speak with you."

He nodded, standing up from his chair, the creases of his lab coat still bunched up against his chest. "Is it a patient?" he questioned before straightening out his coat.

"No, sir," Anna shook her head, slowly opening the door. "It's your brother."

Mark hesitantly entered, that same expression etched on his face.

"I'll leave you two," Anna stated before disappearing through the swinging doors.

Derek cleared his throat, tucking his hands into the pocket of his lab coat. "Mark," he nodded, his eyes trained on his.

"Derek," Mark nodded back, seizing the opportunity to take a seat. "Sit down," he instructed, running his long fingers through his un-kept hair. "I need to talk to you."

Derek slowly sat down, his hands resting gently on his desk. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

Mark looked up, his eyes red and blood-shot. "Tell me what happened."

Derek raised his eye brows, knowing far too well what this was about. He straightened himself in the chair, letting out a deep sigh. "What do you mean what happened?"

"Cut the shit Derek!" Mark snapped, abruptly standing up from the chair, purposely knocking over the picture frame of Derek and himself. "Tell me!" he panted, his lips trembling.

Derek looked on, his eyes filling up at the sight of his brother-his own flesh and blood-looking so desperate, so hurt. Standing up from his own chair, he took a deep breath, deciding once and for all to let out all the secrets, all the lies, and all the betrayals. "Alright," he swallowed, "I'll tell you."

And then, just like that, the silent, unspoken rule was broken.

_Then_

"Let's play a game!" Marissa enthusiastically clapped, gulping down another apple martini. "We can each pick a guy and hook up with them!"

Meredith raised her eye brows, her eyes dancing around her very, severely drunk friends.

"I _love _that!" Izzie giggled, throwing her beer can at the bartender. "Hey!" she barked, "How about another round for my girlies!"

"I think you've had enough, miss," the bartender replied, rolling his eyes at the women.

"What?!" Cristina swayed, her hair sprawled all over the front of her head. "That fair not…sue we could and they, the cops, come would they!"

"See?!" the bartender pointed, his finger wiggling at Cristina. "She can't even speak properly!"

"I'll take care of it," Meredith mumbled, pulling Cristina's arm towards the doors. "Come on Cristina, it's time to go home."

"NO!" she howled, pulling herself away from Meredith's grasp.

"Cristina!" Meredith groaned; giving up once she stole a shot of tequila off some random guy's table.

"Hey!" the guy exclaimed, "That was mine!"

"And now this, it's, mine!" she mocked, her words still slurred and incoherent.

"Give that to me," Meredith demanded, snatching the glass from her pursed lips, and politely handing it over to the man. "I'm sorry about her," she apologized, motioning towards her friend who always already laughing and drinking some more with the girls. "Birthday party."

"Those could get ugly," she man laughed, extending his hand. "Mark Shepherd."

"Meredith Grey," she smiled, shaking firmly. "Nice to meet you."

"So can I ask you, Meredith, why you aren't getting drunk with your friends?" he flirtatiously questioned, lifting the tequila up to his lips.

"Uhm," Meredith paused, looking back at her friends. "I don't really like getting drunk with them."

"And why is that?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"They're annoying when they're drunk," she replied, a smile plastered to her porcelain face.

"And you're not?" he laughed, pulling out a chair for her.

"Well let's just say I'm less annoying than _them_," she giggled, plopping down into the seat. "So. What's your story? Why are you here alone?"

"You're here for a birthday party. I'm here for a pity party," he sighed, drying the glass of the tequila in no time. "My girlfriend of three years just dumped me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Meredith murmured, twirling her fingers. "That must have sucked."

He shrugged, running his thumb around the edge of the glass. "It was weird. I'm not a relationship guy. But she just hit me like a ton of bricks. Then, just as quickly as it happened, it was over."

"Well relationships always end," she said confidently, reaching over for a peanut. "None of them work."

"Hmmm, why do you think that?" he asked, his head tilted towards hers. "Not much of a relationship person either?"

She shook her head, her eyes concentrating on the peanut in front of her. "I could be. But none of them end up successful. So what the hell is the point?"

He grinned, leaning back in his chair. "I like you."

She glanced up, pushing back some of her golden hair, the green layers of her eyes shining against her skin. "Want to buy me a drink?"

* * *

It meant nothing. It was a silly, stupid one-night stand. He was just like the others. No one special. Except, there was something about him that intrigued her. Something about him that just…amazed her. So as she tip-toed out of his room, making sure not to wake him, she was surprised that she had the self-control to actually leave. But she managed, shutting the hotel door hard on the way out.

"Ei Carumba!" a Spanish maid whispered to herself, seeing Meredith run out of the room.

"Excuse me?" Meredith asked, whipping her head around. "Were you referring to me?"

The woman looked up, her chocolate eyes wide against her caramel skin. "Si," she sighed, tucking a few fresh towels beneath her arm. "You're another one?"

"What?" Meredith asked, her eye brows knitting together. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Everyday with another girl!" she went on, her thick Spanish accent apparent in her speech. "I swear to you, a different woman leaves that room every time I clean!" she continued, flying her arms around as if she was swatting at a fly.

"Oh," Meredith said; her voice lowering. "He's one of those."

"You didn't know?" she asked surprised, clicking her tongue. "Just be careful. You seem like nice girl."

"Thank you," Meredith smiled to the maid, turning slowly towards the elevators.

"Adios!"

"Adios," Meredith replied, pushing away all the feelings, thoughts, and 'what could have beens' out of her head. He was a player, a bachelor, a _manwhore_. She couldn't deal with all that right now, especially after the sudden death of her mother. It was all too much.

"He was just another one-night stand," she said to herself, pushing down hard on the shining arrow.

But as she stepped into the elevators, she couldn't help but think to herself that he wasn't.

* * *

_6 weeks later..._

"Maybe its food poisoning," Izzie guessed as she held Meredith's hair, allowing her head to fall into the toilet. "Or typhoid."

"It's not," Meredith moaned, vomiting for the fifth time. "Oh my God," she groaned, curling up into the fetal position.

"Mer, you need to find out what it is," she gently said, pushing back her friend's hair. "You've been throwing up for a couple days now."

"I don't know," Meredith shook her head, wiping her mouth. "I honestly don't know."

"Do you usually vomit during your period?" Izzie asked, wiping the drops of sweat on Meredith's forehead with a cool towel.

Meredith looked up, rubbing her tired eyes. "That can't be it. I haven't had my period since February 12th."

Izzie's eyes widened, realization creeping onto her face. "Oh my God…Meredith are you pregnant?!"

Meredith turned towards the toilet and, for the sixth time that day, threw up.

* * *

"Let's go over everything," Marissa instructed, grabbing a pencil out of her tight French twist. "When was the last time you had sex?"

Meredith rolled her eyes, her cheeks reddening. "I don't know."

"Oh come on! You gotta know," Cristina pressured, picking at her salad.

"Uhm," Meredith hesitated, scratching her head. "I guess it was at your party about a month ago."

"Wo!" Izzie gasped, dropping her hamburger, "I didn't know you had sex that night!"

"It was the guy that Cristina stole the drink from," she murmured, sipping cautiously on her water.

Marissa's eyes widened. "NO WAY! Meredith! He was GORGEOUS!"

Meredith shook her head, rolling a French fry in ketchup. "It doesn't matter. Because now I might be pregnant and I have no clue where this guy is."

"Well there is a chance you might not be pregnant," Cristina pointed out, sinking her teeth into the other half of Izzie's burger. "Ever think of that?"

"I don't know," she sighed, throwing the fry across the table. She threw a hand over her pale face, her stomach doing flips. "This sucks."

"Why don't we get a pregnancy test?" Izzie suggested, throwing money on the table. "Then we'll know for sure instead of speculating."

"Now?" Meredith asked; her cheeks flushed. "I feel like I'm gonna be sick again," she groaned, sinking in her chair.

"Let's go," Cristina demanded, pulling Meredith onto her feet. "You'll thank us later."

"But-" Meredith started before being dragged to the nearest drug store where, in the tiny, disgusting cubicle of a bathroom, she peed on a stick and found out she was indeed pregnant.

* * *

Meredith twitched in her seat, placing her feet onto the cold, metal stirrups. She hated hospitals. They had the distinct smell of death in the air, and the clear, beige walls seemed to stare at you as you waited patiently to be taken care of…which, could take several days.

"Miss Grey?" a tall, rather handsome doctor asked her as he stepped into the tiny room. "You are here because you are pregnant?" he continued with the questions, looking down at his chart.

"Mmhmm," Meredith mumbled, staring at her lap. "Can we just get this over with? I mean, isn't there a chance that I could not be pregnant?"

"Well it says here you took a home pregnancy test and it was positive. So, we will follow up on that with a blood test just to make sure. But the odds of you not being pregnant are rather slim," he smiled, pulling a chair up to her. "So…congratulations."

"Yeah, well just take the blood test then," she snapped, avoiding eye contact. "I'm not really happy about this."

The grin on his face immediately vanished and he turned away. "Oh, I see."

"But I don't want an abortion," she made sure to add, sitting up. "I could never have one of those."

The doctor smiled, backing out of the room. "Great. Well then I'll get a nurse to do your blood test, we'll see if it is positive, then progress from there."

She hesitantly nodded, sucking in puffs of air to keep her from vomiting all over the perfectly clean floors. "Oh, doctor?"

He turned around, his green eyes shining. "Dr. Shepherd."

"Oh, Dr. Shepherd," she continued, squinting her eyes at the name. It sounded…familiar. "Um, this is all private right? I mean, I don't want…"

"Oh yes of course," he answered immediately, his strong hand resting on the hinge of the door. "No one will know about this except us."

"Okay," she smiled; nodding appreciatively at him. "Thank you."

"Of course," he grinned back, lingering a little longer than he should. "If you have any questions, just ask."

"Sure," she nodded, falling back onto the bed. "I will."


	2. Foolish Games

"_You really believe in happy endings?" she snorted, sipping on her tenth shot of tequila. "Loser!" she exclaimed, slowly slurring her words. _

"_It's romantic!" he defended himself, taking the shot away from her. "…unlike you and your intense drinking." He playfully rolled his eyes, tangling his fingers in her hair. _

"_Hey!" she yelled, swirling her finger at him. "You're not so innocent. What is that your fifth scotch?"_

"_True," he reasoned, downing the drink. "But I'm not a loser in hoping that somehow there can be happy endings."_

"_You're right," she shrugged, wrapping her fingers around her shot glass. "You're just a loser in thinking they actually exist."_

She threw her keys on the mantle, shrugging out of her heavy Eskimo coat. The heat from the room radiated throughout the house, soaking into her skin. She rubbed her arms, glancing at the snow white winter wonderland beyond the tainted window. She sighed, tracing tiny hearts into the crystal glass. But, soon, she knew, they would disappear from the taint of the window, the heat melting it into a puddle under her feet.

"Hey, how was it?" Izzie asked, racing down the steps, a camera in her hands. "You're pregnant right?"

"Yep," Meredith sighed, plopping down on the couch. "6 weeks."

"Yay!" Izzie clapped, snapping a picture of a very unenthused Meredith. "What?" she asked when the only response she received was the cold stare of Meredith's sea green eyes.

"This is not funny! Or happy for that matter!" she snapped, standing abruptly up from the couch. "How would you feel if you were in my position?!"

"Sorry," Izzie mumbled, a small smile still engraved on her face. "But this is so exciting!" Snapping another picture, she threw the camera at her friend. "Look at them! We can create a whole photo album! Meredith before the baby!"

Meredith smoothed the sides of the camera between her fingertips, tracing them over the flash. This was really happening. She was pregnant. "What?" she said after a few moments, her head clouded with thoughts and her face in a daze. "What did you say?"

"I said this is exciting!" Izzie clapped again, smiling wide. "Don't you think."

Meredith's throat began to close as her tempterture slowly rose. She felt the hot swelling of the tears forming in the back of her throat as she clutched the camera with all her might.

Suddenly, the reality of the truth too much to bare, she slammed the camera onto the cool, hard ground; the pieces that contained all the numerous memories flying across the room. Vanishing in a blink of an eye.

Izzie jumped back, a hand clasped over her mouth. "Meredith..." she began, picking up the pieces. "What is wrong with you!?"

"_What_?!" Meredith screamed, her head popping up. "What is wrong with ME?! Geez, I don't know Iz, maybe it's the fact that I am PREGNANT!" Tears filled her eyes, the cool droplets flowing down her cheeks. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME?!"

Izzie slowly backed up, overwhelmed by her friend's sudden change of attitdue. "Mer, I-"

"Just leave!" Meredith sobbed, chucking the broken parts at Izzie's ankles. "Just…" she breathed, her sobs heaving against her chest.

Then, without saying another word, Izzie grabbed her coat and left.

* * *

"Hey!" Mark yelled jumping into Derek's office. "Ready for our big game?"

"Oh right the football game…" Derek trailed off; his fingers running through the masses of paperwork he already had to get through. "Yeah, man, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it."

"What?!" Mark exclaimed, "This is against the east side! You know what that means!? We _need_ you as a running back."

"Yeah but in the end it's just a stupid game; it doesn't mean anything," Derek countered, knowing just what buttons to push. "You'd understand if you had a job," he mumbled under her breath, typing his new patient's notes onto the computer.

"What did you say?" Mark asked, nose to nose with his brother. "That I'd understand if I worked?"

"Just go Mark," Derek sighed, running his hand down his face. "Please I have a lot of work to do."

"Right because apparently I don't understand because I'm not a hot shot doctor like you," Mark replied, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "Don't you dare judge me you son of a bitch!"

"Then go!" Derek yelled back, "Go! And while you are at it, find a job!"

"How about you find your wife?!"

Derek grew silent, Mark's words sinking into him. "That's not fair," he whispered, the distance between them so incredibly big.

"What's not fair? The fact that your wife left you because she didn't want to deal with your shit anymore? Or the fact that she's marrying your former best friend?"

"Get _out_!" Derek screamed, pointing to the wooden door. "Get out before I call security!"

"Already leaving," Mark replied, slamming the door so hard that the room began a low rumble.

Derek breathed out, rubbing his fingers between the crest of his nose, the indents of his glasses still visible.

"You alright?" Anna asked, stepping into the room. "I heard the screams."

"Yeah," Derek nodded, sniffling before smiling up at his secretary. "Couldn't be better."

"Okay good," she answered, giving him a sympathetic smile. "But Derek?"

"Yeah," he looked up, silently wishing she would leave.

She leaned against the door frame, her red curls twirling against her pale skin. "He _is_ sort of right. You haven't been the same since she left."

"Anna, please," he began, his eyes closed. "Please don't talk about her."

"Are we really talking about her?" she asked, backing away from the door. "Or you?"

He looked up, his eyes meeting her light blue ones. "We're not talking," he said simply, gathering up his papers, "About anything."

* * *

"_Why are you so cute?" he smiled, rubbing his hand up and down her leg. _

"_I just am," she giggled, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I'm really drunk right now," she giggled, her hand traveling up his chest._

"_Me too, believe me," he laughed with her, stroking her hand. "But that's alright."_

"_Why?" she asked, her lips inches away from his. "Do you want to take advantage of me?"_

"_Maybe," he grinned, smoothing out the top of her hair. "Would that be wrong?"_

_She shook her head, her lips lightly touching his. "How about we get out of here?"_

_He gazed into her eyes, a flash of desire swelling in him. He kissed her lightly on the nose, his fingers inching up her skirt. "I think I like that idea."_

Meredith stared at the phone, biting lightly on her thumb. The red blotches on her face were still visicble from her breakdown earlier. But she had to do this. She had questions. A lot of questions that had completely slipped her mind when her very hot doctor entered the room. But she knew that if she did not ask him, her baby would come out blue with six fingers.

"Just ask him," she mumbled to herself, picking up the phone. She quickly dialed the number to the hospital, pressing the 3 digit code to Dr. Shepherd's extension. She waited patiently, the slow, boring elevator music playing softly in the background. Drumming her fingers against the coffee table, she contemplated hanging up. But when he answered, she knew there was no turning back.

"Dr. Shepherd's office, how may I help you?" a woman asked; her voice stingy and high.

"Uh hi," Meredith said, running her fingers through her hair. "May I speak to Dr. Shepherd please?"

"Sure, one moment," the woman said, the slow music returning to her irritated ear drums.

"Dr. Shepherd speaking," he answered, his voice horsed and low; like he had just been crying.

"Hi, Dr. Shepherd? This is Meredith Grey. I have a few, uh, questions."

"Questions?" he asked, yawning lightly. "What kind?"

"Well like, for starters, what am I suppose to eat? Or not eat? You know, stuff like that." She swallowed hard, wondering whether she was the only pregnant woman in the world who did not know these common facts.

"Oh, I did not explain that to you?" he asked, "You should probably come back to the office. I have a big packet for you that should explain everything. Then you could ask me additional questions and anything else that is bothering you."

"Okay," Meredith nodded, looking down at her watch. "I'll come over now."

"Alright, sounds good," he responded, disconnected his voice from the line.

And even though she couldn't physically see him, she could have sworn he was smiling. And that, in itself, puzzled her completely.

* * *

"_I do," Meredith whispered, her head nestled under his chin. "I do believe in happily ever afters."_

"_You do?" he asked, running his thumb down her cheek. "Why didn't you say so?"_

"_I don't know," she murmured, nestling closer to him. "They scare me."_

_He smiled, rubbing his feet against hers. "Why's that?"_

"_I don't like getting close to someone," she said quickly. "Emotionally, I mean."_

_He grinned, lifting her chin slightly. Gazing into his eyes, a smile tugged at the sides of her cherry lips. "What?"_

"_You are so…" he trailed off, his head shaking. _

"_I'm what?" she asked, curious to see his response._

_He looked up at his ceiling, the twinkling of the stars and moon shining into the room. "You're," he began, shifting to stare at her, "… different; amazing."_

_She grinned, running her fingers down the nape of his neck. "So you are you."_

The hospital was just how she left it; cold, bloody, and deathly. She drew her purse closer to her chest, wincing as the man across the room took his last breath; causing handfuls of interns and residents to leave their projects behind and tend to the man who was already dead.

"Miss Grey?" a tall, beautiful woman asked her, stepping outside. "Dr. Shepherd is ready for you."

Meredith flashed a small smile, walking quickly into the room.

Derek looked up from his lap top, standing from the chair. Walking towards her, he extended his hand. "Nice to see you again," he smiled, shaking hard.

"You too," she nodded; his hand moving toward her lower back.

"Come in here," he instructed, pushing her slightly towards the door. "I have the packet with me so we'll go over everything in here."

"Okay," Meredith agreed, beginning to step into the tiny exam room when booming footsteps interrupted them.

"Derek!" Mark shouted, rushing into his brother's office. "We won! We won, man! We actually won!" He began to jump up and down, the dirt and sweat still slapped across his face and chest. Clippings of grass nestled into the crests of his hair, while chunks of soil trailed Derek's perfectly clean carpets. "Can you believe it?!"

"Mark!" Derek yelled, motioning towards Meredith. "I'm with a patient."

Mark glanced at her, seeming to do a complete double take.

"Bye Mark," Derek pushed on, shaking the arm of his brother. "You can leave now."

"Meredith?" Mark asked; his eye brows knitted together. "Is that…is that you?"

"Oh my God…" Meredith started, hiding her eyes from sheer embarrassment. "Oh my God."

"What?" Derek asked, staring between the two. "What's going on?"

"We met at a bar about a month ago," Mark began, not realizing the enormity of the situation, "We, uh, you know fooled around and stuff. Why is she here?"

Meredith looked up, her eye catching Derek's.

"Wait, a month ago?" Derek asked, his question directed towards Mark, but his eyes trained on Meredith's.

"Yeah why?" Mark asked, confusing sweeping across his face.

"Mark," Meredith began, noticing how shocked and flustered Derek was. "Could we talk alone maybe?"

"Or you could just do it right here," Derek interjected, the friendly tone in his voice vanishing as a coldness swept over his eyes. "Tell him Miss Grey."

"Tell me what?" Mark asked again, facing Meredith. "What's going on?"

Meredith looked down, shocked and scared about the entire situation. How could this have happened? Even worse, _how_ could she let this happen?

"Mark," she looked up, her eyes glazed over by the many tears beginning to form. "Um…" she stammered, fumbling for the right words, "I'm pregnant."

And as those two, tiny words spilled out of her lips, so did the many tears she was trying desperately to keep inside.

**A/N: Alrighty, so first let me start off my saying OMG thank you for all those positive reviews. I have a good feeling about this story. Secondly, Derek is a little pissed; because, well, I can't really tell you much but he respected Meredith a lot. Sure, he didn't think she got knocked up over some silly one night stand but he did think something else happened which you will see later. So when he finds out that this girl, this patient that he respected (and was a bit attracted to!) from the getto, got knocked up by his brother, he's a bit shocked to say the least. This will all become more clear during the next chapters. **

**Now I don't wanna rush this story but I cannot wait till the sparks start to fly between Meredith and Derek and Meredith and Mark (which both will happen.) **

**Some of you wanted to know whether this was Merder or Mermark, and truthfully, honestly, it's both. I never plan when I write a story. I just go on the computer and let my fingers work so I can't tell you who she's going to end up with in the end simply because I don't know. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next ones are going to be explosive so stay tuned. And continue with those wonderful comments! **


	3. I Promise

_I'm pregnant_

Marks eyes grew wide, his words slowly slipping away. "What?" he asked; completely baffled at what she had just confessed. Pregnant? He got someone pregnant? No, this was not happening. How could that have happened? He was always careful, making sure to never do anything with any women unless he was absolutely sure there was no way in hell they could get pregnant. _He was always careful_. So how could something of this magnitude just slip right through his fingers?

"I'm pregnant," she wailed, collapsing onto the floor.

Derek reached out his hand, latching onto her arm. "Help me out Mark," he instructed, helping Meredith to her feet.

Mark looked on, unable to do or say anything. She was pregnant. He got someone _pregnant_.

"Mark!" Derek pressed on, "Help me out!"

Snapping out of his daze, he instinctively grabbed onto her other arm, slowly helping her up.

"Here," Derek said carefully, "Sit down." Pulling a chair closer to her limp body, he gently allowed her to sit.

"I'm sorry," she cried on, grabbing a tissue off Derek's hard wooden desk. "This is just too much for me…"

"I understand," Derek cooed, smoothing out her hair. "Getting pregnant in any situation is hard on most."

She shook her head, her eyes squeezed tight, allowing the overflow of tears to fly down her red blotched cheeks. _No_ she thought _you're wrong. _

"Um," Mark spoke up, "Derek can I talk to her?"

"No," he answered immediately.

"What?" Mark asked, baffled at his brother. "Why not?"

"Cause," Derek answered, standing up to look his brother; face to face, eye to eye. "You can't."

Mark tried his best to hide the expression creeping onto his face. He had to talk to her. He had to figure this out. Why couldn't Derek see that?

"Derek," he said simply, pouring out so many different emotions. "Please."

"No," he shook his head, folding up some charts before opening the rickety door. "Leave."

Mark swallowed the hot lump forming in his throat, trying his best to prevent the tears from falling. He could not cry. Not in front of Meredith. Not in front of his older brother. Not in front of himself.

"Dr. Shepherd," Meredith spoke, wiping away the few tears that remained, "It's alright if he wants to talk…"

Derek kept his eyes trained on Mark, never once letting his guard down. "Trust me Miss Grey," he answered, "You don't want to talk to him."

Then he walked through the doors and left.

"_I call the one in the blue skirt!" Mark yelled out, making sure to claim the hottest girl in the pack of bikers heading their way. _

"_Why do you get her?" Derek asked, soaping the sides of his father's 100 year old mustang convertible. "Why can't I get her?"_

"_Because I'm Mark," he answered simply, "I go for the um," he began, searching for the right word. "Easier ladies." He gave another grin to his brother before pouring an ice cold bucket of dirty soap water on himself. _

"_And how do you know she's easy?" Derek questioned, wiping a dribble of sweat from his brow. It was a scorching day, and since Mark was caught sneaking out at 3 am, it was his punishment to wash the always dirty car of their father's. Derek offered to help, seeing it as the right thing to do. But so far, he was the only one doing the work. _

"_Who wears a skirt biking unless they want it?" Mark asked as if it were obvious, smiling mischievously. _

_Derek rolled his eyes, picking up the sponge from the ground and wiping the windows. "You know you could do something productive and help me with this," he suggested, knowing far too well that he would do no such thing. "I mean YOU are supposed to be doing this…"_

"_Shhh, shut up! She's coming!" Mark instructed, jumping off the hood of the car. "How do I look?"_

"_Soaking wet," Derek muttered. _

"_Perfect," Mark smiled, shaking the many water droplets from his hair. "Hey ladies," he shouted out, winking at the girl in the blue sequin dripping skirt. "How about I give you a ride?"_

_Derek snorted in spite of himself. "Good one genius."_

"_Um," the girl answered, breaking off from the pack. "Who are you?"_

"_Mark Shepherd," Mark grinned, shining his sparkling pearly whites. _

"_Here we go…" Derek whispered to himself, replaying the scenario that happened every time Mark met a girl. He'd flirt. She'd laugh. He'd smile. She'd fall head over heals. Just like that. Leaving Derek alone, single, and far too lonely. It wasn't that he was bad looking. He wasn't. Girls liked him. But they liked Mark more. That was the way it always was, always will be. And nothing Derek could ever do would match up to Mark. Period._

* * *

Meredith plopped onto her bed, sprawling her sore body throughout the numerous covers. She was tired, and hungry, and sad, and confused. Grabbing her favorite pillow from the floor she hugged it tight, biting her lower lip. She bit harder and harder till it bled, filling her mouth with the taste of metal. She swirled her tongue around the cut, making the wound even bigger. Soon, she realized her attempt of distracting herself was only hurting her. Just like everything else in her life. Who was this Mark guy? She only knew him for 18 hours, if that. Would he help her? It seemed that he would from their talk earlier, which only lasted a few minutes since Dr. Shepherd stormed in and kicked him out. But what if he decided the responsibility was too great? Or too much? What if he couldn't take it and just abandoned her? How was she supposed to judge his character when she didn't even know her own? Everything was a blur, blending like different colors until it created something unrecognizable. He had to help her. He was the one that did this to her! It was his fault, after all. He had no choice but to help her.

Right?

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Derek screamed at his brother as he paced back and fourth in his room. "You actually got an innocent woman pregnant, Mark!"

"Stop," Mark replied solemnly, watching the floor. "It wasn't my fault…"

"OH!" Derek exclaimed sarcastically, throwing his hands up. "Of course! It never is! Who is going to pay for child support, huh Mark? Who is going to take car of the kid? Do you even know this woman? This is so irresponsible! I should have known all this sleeping around was going to bite you in the ass one day!"

"Why do you even care so much?" Mark retorted, abruptly standing up. "You've made it clear that this is my problem so why don't you just get the hell out of it!"

"Because I'm her doctor you jack ass!" Derek screamed, chuckling a bit after the words came out. "Wow," he breathed, rubbing his face, "You really don't get it do you? This is the real word, buddy. Wake the fuck up."

Mark stared at his brother, tears in his eyes. His hands began to shake, but he made it a point to hide them with his jacket. He couldn't let Derek see him this broken…this afraid. Yet, that was exactly what he was. _Afraid._ He needed Derek, his brother, right now. He needed support; someone to tell him that everything was going to be alright. But deep in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't.

"Derek I'm scared," he whispered, his voice shaking.

Derek's eyes softened as he saw the tears drip down his brother's pale face. Mark started shaking hysterically, collapsing onto the floor. His breath began to quicken, and his cries grew loud.

"Steady your breathing, Mark, just steady your breathing," Derek instructed as he aided his limp brother on the floor. Placing one hand behind his back and the other on his shoulder, Derek pulled him close and hugged him. "It's going to be okay..." he whispered as Mark tightly clutched his back.

"I'm so sorry Derek," he sobbed, burying his face within Derek's chest. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

"_Derek! Derek, hurry! Your new baby brother is downstairs!" Maria, the Shepherd's nanny called from downstairs. _

_Derek sprung up from his bed and rushed down the steps as quickly as his little feet could manage. _

"_Where is he?" he asked enthusiastically. A large smile, with four missing teeth, inhabited his face. _

_Maria took little Derek's shoulders and turned him around to face his parents. _

"_Mommy!" Derek shouted as he ran to her place. "Oh my goodness," he whispered as he set eyes on his beautiful, 9 pounds, baby brother. _

"_Mark, this is your big brother Derek," Derek's mother, Rachel, cooed. "Derek, say hi!"_

"_Hi Mark," Derek laughed, lightly touching the tip of Mark's soft forehead. "He has a lot of hair!" _

_Rachel laughed, lightly petting Derek's thick mane of dark black curls. "Looks like you're going to have some competition now!" _

_Derek grinned. "Can I hold him, Mamma? Please, pleas, please!" he begged, jumping up and down. _

"_Yes you may! Go sit on the couch and put a pillow under your arm."_

_Derek did what he was told and waited patiently until his mother wobbled over to his seat. Placing Mark gently into his hands, she simmered her blue eyes wide. _

"_Isn't that just precious!" Maria exclaimed, clasping her hands together. _

"_Be careful now Derek," Rachel warned, clutching the locket resting on her neck. "He is very fragile."_

"_I know mommy," Derek nodded, touching his nose against Mark's head. "I'm his big brother. I'm not going to hurt him!"_

_Rachel chuckled, "You better not! You are all each other have, you hear me? You have to protect him through thick and thin! Promise me you will okay?"_

_Derek nodded, his eyes still fixed on Mark. "I promise."_

**A/N: I highly doubt I have people still sticking with me considering my last update was ages ago. But I stumbled upon this on my computer and I realized that this is my favorite story ever! :P If your still here, review please because you know how much I love those ;) **


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